Musings...

I have been thinking a lot lately about the way society is running headlong over the cliff of peak oil like lemmings.

I had even considered putting together a series of posts outlining my "presidential planks" or stands on the issues the same way the presidential candidates do on their website, but realized that post such as that do not really convey what I am trying to say.

Instead, I will outline what I see happening in the next few years, and offer up my opinion of what should be done to minimize the effects of resource depletion on our society.

First, a bit of an overview as to what I mean on resource depletion. ( cut for those who already know whereof I speak )

So where does this leave us?

The age of oil is collapsing around us.

"So what?" You may ask.

Well, consider this. ( very brief explanation of inflation and the economy )

So how do we deal with this mess?

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution.

We as a nation are dependent upon (not so)cheap oil.

( nutshell explanation of the American landscape )

Originally, the way that people commuted to work from the suburbs and back was via mass transit; streetcars, interurbans, and passenger rail. However, the automobile industry did everything it could to promote individual cars for every family while simultaneously ruining the competition from mass transit.
( explanation of how big business drove us off of public transit into surburbia's cul-de-sac )

In the 50's, while all of this was going on, the federal government stepped in and decided to subsidize the creation of the National Interstate System.

( description of the history of the Interstate system, and how it 'killed' long distance passenger rail )

Over time, as the railroads were no longer able to turn a profit on their vast networks of rails, they trimmed service and abandoned routes. The communities that were served did not really notice that much, as the businesses merely moved their freight operations to commercial trucking. Some communities even tore up the rails and turned the rights of way into walking and bike paths, while the roads continued to get more and more congested.

The railroads consolidated on making the most profitable routes more profitable, concentrating on high volume cross country freight, and high volume, single item bulk service, such as coal.

Trucking moved into the voids left when the railroads left, and the volume of traffic on the roads increased. People continue to follow the flight into the suburbs and exburbs, following the "American Dream".

In short, the situation in many parts of the Midwest and South stand as such:

The average Joe (or Jane) is buying (the banks still owe it until the mortgage is paid off) a house at the outskirts of a city, where land is still cheap. They drive 30 minutes to an hour each way to get to work, and find it harder to pay their bills because their paychecks just don't stretch as far as it used to. The long commute amplifies the increase in the cost of gasoline, as they have no alternative to driving everywhere they go.

Sure they care about the environment and complain about the cost of gas, but what can they really do? There are no jobs close to where they live, It costs too much to buy property close to work, and the neighborhoods they live in aren't on any sort of mass-transit system, because no-one wants to pay more taxes to support the extension of a city's transit system.

It is ingrained into our psyche that we must increase our consumption, that if something breaks it is easier to buy a new one than to fix it, and that we can have anything we want when we want it, (and thanks to easy credit, we can have it even if we can't afford it.)

Our governmental policies demand the growth of the economy every year. Lack of growth is considered bad, and it is considered a patriotic duty to spend our money to buy stuff, even if it means borrowing money to do so.

So what do we do?

First we must realize that we no longer can live beyond our means.
( Read more... )

A good way to figure out where your money is going is to keep track of every penny spent over the course of a month. ( Read more... )

The point is, document where you spend your money.

Once you know where you money is going, you need to determine if some of the recurring items are worth it.

Do you really need to spend $1.25 on a 20 oz coke twice a day? Do you really need to spend $4.50 on a cappuccino or a latte or a mocha from your local Starbucks?

Is there a way to get the same benefit for less?

Look at all aspects of your budget.

The point is, figure out how to live on less money than you earn. If you are doing that already, then instead of spending your money on frivolous stuff, spend it where it will help you. On bills.

Make a budget that lets you live on less than you earn, and still has funds in there for a bit of fun. Otherwise, just like when dieting, you will deny yourself pleasure until you are tempted just a tad too much, and then you will splurge, and have to start over from scratch.

The excess monies you free up, will be what you will use to get out of debt.

( Why we should get out of debt. In a word. Freedom. )

Those who are debt free can afford to quit, to find a different job, to enjoy life.

In short, they are free.

If we are living within our means and we are debt free, then we are already immeasurably in a better position to deal with high energy prices.

The high transportation costs are going to make it more imperative that you live closer to work.

Another way to give yourself more leeway financially is to be closer to your workplace. This can be accomplished by changing jobs or by moving.

Consider the following scenario. ( Read more... )

I will continue musing on these things, but this one has gotten a bit unwieldy, and I think I should just go ahead and post it before it losses it's direction entirely.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on how we, as a nation, should address the problems ahead.